Amid the spiralling political crisis in the state, the Maharashtra cabinet on Wednesday gave its approval for renaming Aurangabad city as Sambhajinagar and Osmanabad as Dharashiv. The cabinet meeting chaired by beleaguered Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray also approved the naming of upcoming Navi Mumbai international airport after farmer leader late D.B. Patil.
The demand for renaming the cities was raised by Transport Minister Anil Parab at a cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Tuesday.
The move comes amid pressure on the Shiv Sena which has been accused of compromising with its core ideology of Hindutva. The opposition BJP has been trying to corner the Sena, which heads the three-party Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government, over renaming the central Maharashtra city after Maratha king Chhatrapati Sambhaji.
Considered a polarising figure in Indian history, Mughal emperor Aurangazeb founded the city of Aurangabad in the Marathwada region of the present-day Maharashtra. He had also ordered the execution of Chhatrapati Sambhaji, a personality revered by the Shiv Sena.
Interestingly, state planning agency CIDCO had earlier proposed to name the Navi Mumbai airport after late Balasaheb Thackeray, the founder of the Shiv Sena. The Congress, which is a junior partner in the MVA government, demanded in the cabinet meeting that Pune city be named as Jijau Nagar, after Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj's mother, and Mumbai Trans Harbour link between Sewree and Nhava Sheva in Navi Mumbai be named for former chief minister late A R Antulay. But these demands were apparently not considered.
